4 Hizb militants killed in Shopian encounter

Suhail A Shah

Anantnag, June 8

Security forces gunned down four militants in an encounter in Pinjoora village of Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district today, taking to nine the total number of ultras killed in South Kashmir over the past two days.

Five militants were killed in Rebban village of the district on Sunday morning.

Deputy Inspector General (South Kashmir range) Atul Goel said the identity of the militants were being ascertained. “Their bodies have been retrieved with a huge quantity of arms and ammunition,” he said.

Police sources, however, said all the slain militants were from Shopian district and were Hizb-ul-Mujahideen members. The authorities, of late, have not been making public the identities of slain militants and their bodies are sent to undisclosed locations for burial.

A police official said a search and cordon operation was launched in Pinjoora early in the morning following inputs about the presence of militants. “The militants were told to surrender after contact was established, but they opened fire. The firing was retaliated and the exchange continued for a brief period during which the four militants were killed,” the police official said.

Goel said no collateral damage was reported. “Our aim is to conduct clean operations with least possible collateral damage,” he said. He touted the killing of militants over the past two days as huge success for the security forces and hoped peace would return to South Kashmir with diminishing militant presence.

The mobile internet services in Shopian district, snapped on Sunday morning in wake of the Rebban gunfight, were yet to be restored. Minor clashes were reported from Pinjoora around the site of the gunfight today.